Courses 2014 - 2015

LAW H 512 Public Health Law

Credits: 2

This course focuses on the role of law in public health administration and in the increasingly regulated health care industry. It is designed to provide a foundation in the relevant law for public health officers and health care industry administrators. The course will emphasize the function of public health in the U.S. health care system, the inherent conflict between individual rights and public health powers, and role of law in modulating this conflict. It will explore the role of public health practitioners and agencies in promoting health and safety, including such issues as mandatory reporting of personal medical information, compulsory medical testing and immunization, quarantine and mandated treatment, impositions on personal freedom and behavior, and protection services for vulnerable children and the elderly. It will also consider the newfound threats of bioterrorism and the role of the public health officer, infrastructure, and law in the case of such a disaster. (HSERV 551)